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Authored by a management volunteer at Console Mission.

Covid-19 has impacted individuals globally in numerous ways. A student from the far eastern region of Nepal, Okhaldhunga, arrived in the country’s central city but, unable to afford her college fees, sought assistance from Console Mission.

After completing grade 10, students in Nepal have the option to pursue a career path that allows them to earn after a 3-year Vocational Course, overseen by a government project known as CTEVT. The cost ranges from 8 to 10 lakhs in local currency, or approximately 7000 to 8500 American dollars. Some students secure scholarships or manage through loans. Often, their parents hold low-paying jobs or work in Middle Eastern countries. However, the pandemic led to job losses, forcing many to return to Nepal and their children to discontinue their studies. I encountered a similar case; after understanding her needs, I provided her with a scholarship form. She completed it and submitted the necessary documents. Imagine she had to stop attending her online classes because she couldn’t pay the fees, while her parents advised her to manage until they could afford it. Unfortunately, this approach was not feasible. She still has one and a half years left to complete her Diploma in Engineering.

I received positive feedback on the scholarship application. When I shared the news, she expressed her gratitude with heartfelt thanks, saying, “Thank you so much, sir, for making my dream come true by giving me the opportunity to continue my studies.” Isn’t this what we have done, planting a seed of hope? We discover that everyone has plans for our welfare, to provide us with a future filled with hope. In the days ahead, this student, along with many others, will realize who guided us to make this happen, to achieve our hopeful future.

“heartily Thank u so much sir Hajur harule mero sapana pura garne mero padhailai continue garne abasar dinyvayo thank u so much”

Roshan is a faith-based emerging young volunteer targets to reach each household in his village. In 5-days he learned that his community is in need of health materials and food relief.

After learning about how communicable disease spreads and how it is prevented, Rohan started reaching each household. There are 120 households that he is planning to reach. In the last 5 days he reached about 35 households. The villages are part of the hill district but the areas are plain and being close to the tropical district, it is hot.

In the last 5 days he experienced new things. He never thought that he would be capable of playing an important role in the areas of health. Everything is closed but he managed the necessities before starting. As he walks and meets people, he feels he is creating hope by teaching about prevention from communicable diseases.

Toilet: Proper sanitation facilities (for example, toilets and latrines) promote health because they allow people to dispose of their waste appropriately. Throughout the developing world, many people do not have access to suitable sanitation facilities, resulting in improper waste disposal.

Absence of basic sanitation facilities can:

• Result in an unhealthy environment contaminated by human waste. Without proper sanitation facilities, waste from infected individuals can contaminate a community’s land and water, increasing the risk of infection for other individuals. Proper waste disposal can slow the infection cycle of many disease-causing agents
• Contribute to the spread of many diseases/conditions that can cause widespread illness and death. Without proper sanitation facilities, people often have no choice but to live in and drink water from an environment contaminated with waste from infected individuals, thereby putting themselves at risk for future infection. Inadequate waste disposal drives the infection cycle of many agents that can be spread through contaminated soil, food, water, and insects such as flies.

Prevention is better than cure

If you meet me today, I am not the same as before when I visited Console Mission in December 2020.

I did not know why I was taken there but I was asked about my education first.

It had been a long time since I stopped my school. This October 8, 2021 I will celebrate my 22nd birthday. I told I had to take care of my brother. I may share more about my social situation.

During the 3 months from January – March 2021, I learned tailoring skills. And, by participating in activities and taking books to read, I still did not understand the importance of education. And, still I am ignoring school. If you recognize Kabita, she is my cousin who during the first lockdown left home and went with our relative living in the city and joined a garment factory. But, the Console Mission met her and re-reflected the advantages of education. She refused to continue school but next morning she contacted and planned to continue her education. All that was going on around me but I am not caring about it. Every Sunday I used to go to the Console Mission for training and returned on Tuesday afternoon. During that time I have heard most of the time the Console Mission is focusing on prevention and the importance of education to understand other areas like health, ways of earning and to play a part in a peaceful community. I also heard that “everything is worthless without understanding because understanding develops behaviors and education is the key for understanding and logical thinking”.

The main problem that I have is that I do not communicate well. I just smile. In my village we have green vegetables that are expensive in urban areas but I did not bother to carry some for my cousin living there at Console Mission. My trust in the Console Mission increased when I heard that it helped a 13-year-old Survival girl from our village area to get justice. That little girl did not even know that this NGO did help her. She now lives in our village, Bulakhi Chawor with her relative because it is not safe for her at her village. I know she went to the Console Mission to collect stationeries and educational materials. But she wanted to inform me that she was not feeling safe. Her relatives have their own children, it is not possible to carry on more burden. This girl has her younger sister also. I do not know how this NGO will help them to manage a safe place. I heard from my cousin that there are numerous NGOs who have Shelter Home but the Console Mission has unique ideas for developing such victims and they have different ways to rehabilitate. But, besides ideas, they also need resources, they do not have their own place. At Console Home, there are 4 more girls along with my cousin Kabita. Last month the relative of the owner of the house visited and questioned people living there. Because it was supposed to be for office use only. I think since Console Mission pays the monthly rent on time and took care of the house properly, they have not bothered. But, there are uncertainties otherwise I might have thought of continuing joining school.

Now, it is locked down, since April I along with my other friends had just started learning new things, everything stopped.

If I share more about my family, my father got married to another woman. It was in 2016 when we were suffering from an earthquake. And, later my mother also went with another man. They have their own children. They left us alone. Now, my sister and brother live with my uncle, auntie and cousins. I have been planning to start a tailoring and manage clothes to sell in my village after completing my training.

I have put my photos for you to see.

"Good health is the introduction of holy life" - Console Mission/Global Handwashing Day theme of 2017

There are people who care their soul but not their physical health and they get diseases and suffers that is not a good example.

Quarter I: January to March

Would you like to know about the planned projects and the activities of Console Mission in 2021:

1. 24 community’s young leader will be aware on the Soil-transmitted helminths, a transferable disease listed as Neglected Tropical Diseases by the WHO.
2. 20 socially backward female will develop skills that will help them start earning by working from home.
3. 30 school children will receive school uniform and at least 8 note-copies and stationeries two times a year
4. At 15 villages educational coaching class, a self-help peer-group studying environment will be created
5. Awareness on the importance of ethical business for sustainability will be initiated for the profitable business of the urban popular area of the Lalitpur district, at least 500.
6. Drinking water supply management at one village and monitoring of the implemented one at 3 villages will be done.
7. Developing 9 volunteers that focuses the projects of Console Mission.
8. 12 – 15 public health female volunteers will increase capacity to identify youngsters having Psychosocial issues because of COVID-19 and capable of counseling them well.
9. At least the chairman of the 2 wards (14 and 15) will be consulted for starting Counseling Services at their respective 2 Health Posts with the help of the female health volunteers and a Psychosocial Counseling institute called ECTC.
10. 3 beneficiaries of Console Mission will develop capacity to handle jobs as office/project staff.
11. 2 General Members meeting will be conducted.
12. 2 types of fundraising activities will be conducted.
13. About 14 schools completed from the socially backward will be assisted to select Vocational Course and finding Scholarship.
14. Quarterly Updates and Stories will be shared with the donors and grants provider.
15. Quarterly Board meeting will be held.
16. The Status of the Old Age People of the constituency area will be monitored and reported, especially in the areas of the monthly benefit of NPR 3000 that the age above 65 female and 70 male are receiving or not.
17. Hand washing places and daily monitoring at 11 villages and 12 minority faith-based will be planned and implemented.
18. Initiate psychosocial counseling online sessions for the public school’s students focusing on COVID-19 and its Psychosocial effect and motivating them to implement it at their school.
19. Rescue of Old aged, abandoned and social victims will be done as needed, identifying such needs will be actively initiated.
20. Students from the rural communities will get assistance for managing places and finance by teaching to manage their time for Console Mission, considering them as paid volunteers for their time.

2021

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Challenges and opportunities (Photos)